


you make me brave

by funkyspacegirlfriend



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Featheruary, M/M, Mild Angst, Wingfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2020-02-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:21:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22789411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/funkyspacegirlfriend/pseuds/funkyspacegirlfriend
Summary: Tony used to think his wings were beautiful. But they haven't been the same since Afghanistan.
Relationships: Peter Parker/Tony Stark
Comments: 6
Kudos: 153





	you make me brave

**Author's Note:**

> Tony is a red tailed hawk. Peter is a diamond firetail finch.

Tony’s been a hawk his entire life. It’s the only thing Howard had ever made him feel like he’d done right. Because his father had been a hawk too, and he used to tell Tony that it made them the great predators of the world. _Hawks take what they want, and they don’t apologize for it. Because it’s what we’re owed, son._

As a kid, Tony hadn’t cared about any of that. He only cared about how pretty the dark feathers were, how they darkened out to the tips. How you could see the white feathers peeking through when he spread them wide. The surprise shock of red underneath, close to his shoulders. His wings were beautiful, and everyone told him so. It was one of the things that made him so popular in college, one of the reasons he always had a long line of people begging to preen his feathers.

But they haven’t been the same since Afghanistan. Even after all these years, no matter how many times he or anyone else fixes them back into place, some of the feathers still won’t sit right. His wings droop, regardless of his overall mood. Bruce is confident it has to do with the lingering damage the torture in the caves left on his psyche. His mind and body still feel unworthy, even after all this time. Because he still feels askew, his wings mimic that.

Even worse, he can’t present. Not even to Pepper while they were dating. And not for lack of trying! Tony wanted to show Pepper that he loved her and he trusted her. At least he thought he trusted her, but maybe somewhere in his subconscious, a part of him didn’t. Because every time, he was only about to lift his wings a little, never into a full present. He could see that it frustrated and upset her, no matter how much she tried to claim it didn’t. And Tony couldn’t blame her at all.

Everything changes when Peter comes along.

At first, Tony is afraid of Peter. Afraid of what Peter makes him feel, of how much he makes Tony _want_. Because Peter is so young, so bright and happy and pure. He never hesitates to show off the perfect feathers on his gorgeous wings. Tony doesn’t want to taint him. And that fear only gets worse when he sees that same want reflected back at him in Peter’s eyes. He thinks there must be something wrong with the kid, to want a broken old man like him. And he knows, shockingly, that it’s more than just physical attraction. For both of them.

The more time he spends with Peter, the harder it is to justify keeping the younger man at arm’s length. Because Peter doesn’t give up, keeps coming back and spreading his wings wide whenever it’s just the two of them. Doesn’t give up after each failed attempt to get Tony to respond in kind. Because he _can’t_. Tony wants to, more than anything. More than he ever wanted to present to Pepper. He feels his wing twitch, itching to flare out and give Peter what he knows the kid wants. But that’s all that comes. Just a twitch.

And Tony knows, he _knows_ that their wings compliment each other. The patterns are different, but the colors are similar. Browns over white, dark along the tips of the upper feathers. Peter even has a splash of red, though it’s brighter and more visible on the edges of his lower feathers. And Tony knows it means something, knows that it could mean _everything_. But that just brings that fear back up. Because Peter’s feather are perfectly groomed, neat and tidy from constant regular preening. And Tony’s are still damaged and broken, and there patches here and there where some of the primaries never grew back. What if the damage to his wings is what finally makes Peter run away? So he keeps them tucked away, keeps the damage hidden.

Until..

They’re in the lab, like they always are when it’s just the two of them. Peter keeps a respectable distance between them, like he always does. But he doesn’t hide the way he smiles and stares at the side of Tony’s face while he works, doesn’t hide the way his wings react to being this close. And because he’s watching Tony so intently, when Peter’s wings open up and spread out, presenting like he _always_ does, he notices the way Tony’s shoulder tense up. So he takes a step closer, and then another, until he’s nearly pressed up against the older man’s side. Until he’s close enough to lay a hand over Tony’s and squeeze.

“Peter, please. I can’t-”

“It’s ok, Tony. I don’t care. I don’t care if you never can. But I can see that you want to. And that’s enough for me. _You’re_ enough for me.”

Peter’s words crash over him like a tidal wave, and a shiver runs down Tony’s spine, making his wings quake. But the twitching doesn’t subside, it only gets worse until it feels like all of his feathers are shaking. He backs up one step, then two, makes it three before his wings are lifting, spreading wide until they nearly stretch across the room. The ache of having his wings open for the first time in over a decade makes him groan, and Tony nearly doubles over from the sensation. But Peter is right there, arms around him to keep him steady. And the smile on his face makes Tony feel like he’s staring into the sun.

Their first kiss tastes like sunshine, like love and warmth and all the good feelings Tony thought he’d never feel again. It tastes like _healing_.


End file.
